Here we are, five years later

September 11, 2006

In many ways, it has been a very long half-decade since Sept. 11, 2001. Yet the images are fresh in our minds, as if the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had happened yesterday. That ghastly morning certainly changed the United States and the way many Americans view the world. It also showed how others viewed our country. Relative geographic separation once gave Americans a sense of security not enjoyed in Europe and many other parts of the world. A false sense, as it turned out. Sept. 11 showed that having vast oceans on the east and the west doesn't ensure peace at home. Speed of travel and communication in the 21st century mean that America isn't very far from anywhere. That is one of the lessons of 9/11. As the 9/11 Commission observed, before the terrorist attack the country of Afghanistan seemed to most U.S. residents to be very far away. Yet, to the people of Afghanistan the United States seemed very close. The events of 9/11 set this country on a course not traveled before. Although most would agree that the United States can't afford to lose the war on terror, it is not a war to be waged in the conventional sense. There are no fronts or capitals to claim, no armies to subdue. And don't expect Osama bin Laden to sue for peace any time soon. The debate over a direct connection between the Sept. 11 attack and Iraq seems settled. Even President Bush has said there was none. What still is very much in dispute is America's proper role in influencing Iraq's future and how to assure that Iraq is not left as an exporter of terrorism. To the Bush administration's credit, there have been no attacks in the United States in the last five years. For that, the president, U.S. security forces and the nation's intelligence services deserve credit. But this is not the time for America to lower its guard. The three-fold purpose of the 9/11 Commission was: (a) to understand what happened, (b) to understand the government's failure to prevent it and (c) to make recommendations to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. Some of the commission's recommendations have been implemented. Many have not. Government is bigger. But more cohesive? Not if the performance of FEMA after Hurricane Katrina is an indication. Government is more intrusive. The USA Patriot Act expands executive powers in ways that continue to be refined by judicial review. It is safer to fly today than it was five years ago. The Transportation Safety Administration can respond quickly to a threat, as it demonstrated in mid-August when a liquid explosives plot was uncovered in Britain. On the other hand, neither air- nor seaport cargo is inspected to the satisfaction of anyone. And long-overdue explosives detection technology has been delayed again. U.S. borders are not secure and Congress shows little inclination to address borders in the context of comprehensive immigration legislation. State and local governments have risen in different degrees to the security challenge. Indiana was the object of some national amusement for its list of 8,000-plus potential terrorist targets. There is plenty of reason to question whether need or influence determine the distribution of federal anti-terrorism resources. The Bush administration continues to be at odds with the courts on issues of prisoner detention and warrantless searches. Processes are being developed to make sure that even enemy combatants get their day in court and search warrants can be obtained without undue hardship -- both resolutions that ought to give Americans a sense of renewed confidence in the balance of power. All of these issues make America a very different place from the one we awoke to five years ago. The United States was vulnerable before 9/11, but many people didn't know it. Most of the rest didn't spend much time thinking about it. Now we all have to think about it. Collectively, through elected leadership, we must deal effectively with the threat. We must do so without sacrificing our civil liberties or our respect for the rights of others. Government has gotten off to a halting start in meeting this challenge. As voters and taxpayers, it is our duty to make ourselves heard and to hold our leaders to a very high standard.